Advertising device



Mal'Ch'Z, H A. .BROWN ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed May e, 1926 I @Hom/w13Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES twain PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ALBERT BROWN, OF HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOMERBALLENGEE, OF RI-IOlI-IISS, NORTH CAROLINA.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Application filed May 6, 1926. Serial No. 107,244.

This invention relates to advertising apparatus, one of its objectsbeing to provide a structure containing shilitable panels carryingadvertising matter, continuously oper ating means being provided forshitting the panels successively to display positions, each panel beingbrought ultimately into display position at each side of the housing inwhich the panels are located.

A further object is to provide a structure 4oi this character which issimple and eilicient, which can be cheaply manufactured, `and which isdurable and compact in construction.

view which will appear as the description proceeds, the inventionresides in the coinbination and arrangement of parts and in the detailsof construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understoodthat changes in the precise embodiment of the invention can be `madeWithin the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the accompanying drawings the prefered torni of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings Figure l is a front elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure l.

Figure 3 is a similar' view with the panels removed, the conveyor beingindicated by iull and dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view oi a por- 35 tion of the conveyor.

Referring to the figures by characters olf' reference l designates ahollow base having an elongated housing 2 upstanding therefrom, thishousing being provided at one end 4o within opposed sides with windows 3and 4 respectively through which the shiftable signs are adapted to bedisplayed. The re-` maining spaces upon the front andback walls of thehousing can be occupied by pei manent signs as shown at 5.

Arranged transversely of the housing 2 at the center thereof and betweenthe per1na nent signs and the windows is a partition 6 which is spacedfrom the front and back so 'Walls oft the housing. A.. horizontal partinWith the foregoing and other objects in tion 7 is arranged within thebase l and con- That portion oi the slot adjacent one of the permanentsigns 5 is arranged close to the back of the sign as indicated at 8'LLand merges, at the adjacent sides o1" the partition 6, through anobliquely disposed slot port-ion 8*, into a straight slot portion 8Cwhich is arranged back of but is spaced inwardly from the window 4. Theslot portions 8 and 8C merge into semi-circular portions 8d which inturn merge into slot portions 8e and 8E which communicate, at one sideof the partition 6, through an obliquely disposed slot portion 8g. Theslot portion 8f is located close to the window, while the slot portion8e is spaced inwardly from the permanent sign in line with said windowThus it will be seen that the distance between the slot portions S andis the saine as the distance between the slot portions 8 and 8f. Seriesof antifriction balls 9 are arranged upon the liooi of the horizontalpartition between the opposed portions of the slots. That portion of thehorizontal partition bounded by the slots may be iixedly supported inany suitable manner, as by means of posts l0 and sprockets ll may bejournaled on these posts, these sprockets engaging an endless chain l2.Secured to one or the `links of the chain is a crank arm 13 mounted forrotation relative to the link and having an upstanding finger whichprojects through the slot S.

Secured to the inner surfaceot the liousing 9, above and below thewindow 4 are springs 14 and similar springs 15 arc secured to the innersurface of the opposite wall ot the housing at points adjacent the upperand lower portions oft the permanent sign 5 carried by said wall.

The partition 6 divides the interior ot the housing into twocompartments 16 and 1'? respectively. Housed within each ot thesecompartments is a series of frames 18, each frame carrying a panel 19the two faces of which are exposed within the frame, faces carrying anysuitable advertising matter or from the window 4. Thus the frame nearestthe window 3V will be located directly above the portion 8E of the slot.The frames in the compartment 17 will be pressed in the oppositedirection, one frame being pressed against the permanent sign 5 adjacentwindow 4 so as to be located above the portion 8EL of the slot while theopposite frame in :said compartment will lbe pressed away from the otherpermanent sign. It will be noted that the portion 8b of the slot isnormally positioned below the space between two of the panels incompartment 16 while the portion 8e of the slot is normally locatedbetween two of the panels in the compart-` ment 17.

The chain or conveyor 12 may be driven in any suitable manner, as bymeans of a motor, not shown, and which may be housed in' the base 1.Assuming that the chain is traveling in the direction indicated by thearrow in Figure 3, then the crank arm 13,

which is projecting upwardly through the slot 8 ywill travel into theportion 8t of the e slotand come against the end of the frame 18 nearestthe window 3. VThis frame will thus be thrust longitudinally out ofposition back of the window and will be wedged in the chamber 17 betweenthe permanent sign 5 nearest window 3 and the frame ad- `iacent saidpermanent sign. This addition ofl a frame to the chamber 17 is permitted`by the -springs 15. As the frame is drawn from the compartment 16 thesprings 14 and 15 in said compartments will readjust the fram-es so thatthey will lie compactly in the compartments. As the shifted frame isbrought to position in the compartment 17, the crank arm 13 will bedeflected laterally by the diagonally disposed portion 6g and will thuscome into the portion 8e of the slot so that the crank arm will becomedisengaged fromv the frame and will be tree to travel along thecompartment 17 and around into the portion 81 of the slot where it willengage one end of the first frame in the compartment 17 and thrust saidframe longitudinally into the compart- Y ment 16 and back of the window4. As soon Y as the frame is thus shifted into position back of thewindow 4, the Vcrank arm will be deflected inwardly by the diagonalportion 8b of the slot, whereupon the crank arm will travellongitudinally along the bottom of the compartment 16 until it com-esagainst the nextframe located back of the window 3, whereupon theforegoing operation will be repeated.VV Thus it will be seen that thesigns will be constantly changing, each sign being brought successivelyto position back o1" the window 3 and also back of the window 4.

Although in vFigure 2 certain of the 7o frames have been shown directlyabove the portions 8 and 8'3 of the slot, it will be understood that assoon as an additional frame is forced into either of the compartments 16or 17, the said frame or frames 75 will be thrust inwardly so as toleave said portion or portions of the slot exposed, thus to allow thetree passage of the crank arm 13 therealong. By providing theanti-friction devices 9, the frames can be shifted longitudinally orlaterally without producing undesirable friction.

It is to be understood of course thatit desired the permanent sign 5 canbe removed, thus leaving an open window cor- 'responding with the window3 through which the movable signs will be successively displayed. As thesprings 15 are not attached to the back of the sign 5 but are merelysecured above and below said sign, U0

the removal of this sign will not aii'cct the said springs 5.

Obviously instead of using chains and sprockets as shown and described,belts and pulleys may be employed. The modiication is so obvious that itis not deemed necessary to illustrate the same.

That is claimed is:

The combination with a base, of a housing thereabove having separateeompartments, there being openings at opposite sides of one of thecompartments, of a group of frames mounted on edge within eachcompartment, springs upon one wall of one compartment and the opposedwall of the other compartment for pressing the frames against thosewalls of the compartment remote from the springs therein, an endlessconveyor chain within the base extending throughout the length of thehousing there! above, a crank arm carried by and extending upwardly:trom one of the pivots ot the chain and mounted for rotation relativeto the chain, there being an endless slot in the top of the base abovethe chain and extending beyond the sides of the housing, said slothaving opposed parallel portions extending longitudinally ot the housingand base, those portions of the slot adjacent the center of the housingbeing oiset along par' 120 frame in one of the compartments, and

thrust the frame along the bottom of said compartment into the spacebehind the iframes in the next compartment, the springs in saidcompartment constituting means ior shifting said frame out of the pathof the next frame to beinserted into said compartment, said slotconstituting means for snoeessiv-ely guiding the crank arm out ofengagement with the last inserted frame and into engagement With theback edge of another frame in the last named compartment thereby tothrust said engaged frame into the space back of the group of framesfrom which the i'st frame was removed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 10 as my own, I have heretoaiiXed my signature.

HENRY ALBERT BROWN.

